The introduction of Starbucks on Disneyland‘s Main Street, U.S.A. continues to bring some unexpected changes to the 58-year-old theme park’s main entrance. The latest change has pushed The Disney Gallery from its home in the former Bank of Main Street building into a corner of the Main Street Opera House‘s main lobby. Disney Gallery’s relocation made way for the popular Disneyana shop to move in after Starbucks construction displaced the art store. The Main Street shop shuffle also came with the unveiling of a new exhibit for the Disney Gallery, this time celebrating Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room‘s 50th anniversary. Meanwhile, Disneyland Resort theme parks are kicking off a week of Fourth of July festivities today which will include special food, merchandise as well as a special fireworks show at Disneyland and a patriotic World of Color pre-show at Disney California Adventure.

Get a closer look at today’s update!
Click on any photo in the blog for a large, high-resolution version of the image.

Annual Passholder blackouts and high temperatures did manage to keep big crowds at bay, with wait times proving to be rather manageable Saturday afternoon.

Main Street Shuffle

In Town Square, work has been completed in the Disney Gallery and Main Street Opera House. The changes have resulted in the loss of a proper home for the Disney Gallery, with the Gallery space now officially the new home to Disneyana.

Disneyana was previously located next door to the Market House on Main Street but was closed to make way for the expanded Market House, which will be home to Disneyland’s new Starbucks location.

All signage has been switched out to reflect the change to Disneyana art and collectibles shop.

Inside, the first room largely remains the same, offering a collection of various Disney art and collectibles

Further inside, the second room still features various limited edition prints and original works by Disney-commissioned artists, based on the latest exhibition. On Saturday, work from the previous Fantasyland-themed show were still up but by Sunday, the room was covered with new art released at the Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary merchandise event on Saturday.

The custom-designed display cases that also doubled as bench seating for the Disney Gallery has been removed and the simple glass display cases from the previous Disneyana location have been moved in.

The final room is where the biggest changes have occurred. Special Disney Gallery art shows will no longer be presented back here. Instead, the space now functions as more wall space for Disney-commissioned art by artists like Noah. The Disney sketch artist desk has been relocated here as well. It was previously located in the first room of the Gallery after being moved from the previous Disneyana location when it closed for Starbucks construction.

The custom furniture and display cases for this room have also been removed and replaced with simple glass display cases for merchandise.

Space designed to showcase Imagineering art is now covered by a lot of overpriced work that is far less inspiring.

The Disney Gallery isn’t completely dead, though. In fact, the Gallery is now showcasing a collection of fantastic work in honor of the Enchanted Tiki Room’s 50th Anniversary.

The show, “Tiki Tiki Tiki Realms,” effectively relocates the Disney Gallery to a small portion of the Main Street Opera House’s main lobby. Don’t worry if all of this seems a bit confusing to you, it’s confusing to everybody – even Disney. The poster for the show says “The Disney Gallery Presents” the new Tiki-themed exhibit…

…but at the bottom it notes “Exclusive Engagement within The Disneyland Story.” So is the show inside the Opera House now “The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and The Disney Gallery”?

Inside, a placard for the show gives some history on the Tiki Room. (Click for larger view)

This is the extent of the new Disney Gallery. The custom furniture that was made for the Disney Gallery when it moved into the former Bank of Main Street next door has been moved into the Opera House lobby, despite not matching the Opera House’s interior design. The gallery space has taken over the exhibit space that previously included the Sleeping Beauty Castle and Splash Mountain scale models as well as several wall panels that detailed the early years of Disneyland.

The Disney Gallery sign that hung over the doorway connecting the Opera House lobby and the Gallery has been moved and now awkwardly hangs in the lobby designating the space carved out for Gallery exhibits.

The display cases built for the Gallery when it was housed next door are here and display some great Tiki Room items.

Despite its awkward new location, the new Disney Gallery exhibit is actually rather nice and worth a look if you’re at the park. While you won’t see any original art works here, the reproductions on display are beautifully presented and the cases include some fantastic pieces including the original Enchanted Tiki Room Barker Bird animatronic.

Overall, the new “Tiki Tiki Tiki Realms” exhibit is a delight. It’s a shame, however, that the Disney Gallery continues to be moved around and made smaller with each move. The latest iteration of the Disney Gallery feels decidedly temporary and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last time we see the Disney Gallery at Disneyland. And honestly, at this point, perhaps its time to retire the Gallery. If Disney is more interested in selling high-cost second-rate art instead of showcasing and celebrating its legacy and history, then the Disney Gallery will only continue to suffer. Gone are the glory days of the Disney Gallery when it was located high above New Orleans Square and offered guests a truly unique space to explore and discover incredible art and learn about Disney history.

After moving to the its smaller Main Street location in the former Bank of Main Street, the Disney Gallery was never able to capture the same charm the New Orleans Square location had. It was obvious Disney was more interested in cashing in on the space as a retail location rather than creating a unique attraction for guests. It’s a shame because for 20 years the Disney Gallery in New Orleans Square proved that a unique gallery attraction for guests that also functioned as a successful high-end art and collectibles retail location was possible, Disney just had to care. The original home to the Disney Gallery, now the lavish Disneyland Dream Suite, sits above Pirates of the Caribbean closed to regular park guests. The Dream Suite is now something only VIPs, corporate executives and sweepstakes winners can enjoy.

So, if this is indeed the end of the Disney Gallery, then so be it. It has been an incredible pleasure being able to enjoy the exhibits over the years, especially when the Gallery was still in New Orleans Square. Thanks to the Imagineering team in charge of putting together the shows and creating something truly unique for those of us who took the time to enjoy it over the last 25+ years.

If you’re looking for merchandise celebrating the Enchanted Tiki Room’s 50th Anniversary, Disneyana is now stocked full of items from Saturday’s Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary merchandise event. Tickets for the event started at $85 and gave attendees the first opportunity to buy the new art and collectibles and a chance to mingle with the artists. While it would be great to get some of this work signed by the artists, I’m not sure it’s worth an extra $85, unless you’re planning on making a profit by selling the signed pieces on eBay. In any case, huge amounts of merchandise leftover from the event made its way to Disneyana by Sunday morning where the public can now buy it without the $85 event surcharge.

Some of the items are especially great, including the work above and below by artist team Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily.

Stunning figurines of Tiki goddesses Uti and Pele

A neat little paperclip box by Robert Olszewski

Shag postcard set

Shag ceramic coaster set.

Petite prints

The second room of Disneyana now features a variety of original works as well as giclee prints of commissioned art based on the Tiki Room.

Refurbishment Round-Up

Meanwhile, further down on Main Street, the old Disneyana shop continues contsruction to accommodate the expanded Market House, which will be home to Disneyland’s new Starbucks location. Signage for Disneyana is still up for now…

On Center Street, the old Main Street Cone Shop had its signage finally removed a few weeks ago. The walk-up ice cream window hasn’t been used since the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor remodel was completed last summer.

Rumors say that the Cone Shop will be removed completely in the future and this will be an entrance/exit point for guests using the Main Street alley thoroughfare that is expected to be built behind the Main Street shops. The alley will help alleviate Main Street crowd flow, especially during peak seasons.

In the back of Frontierland, the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree has been hosting a new summertime offering for a couple weeks now. Woody’s All-American Round-Up essentially copies the recent Dia de Reyes and other celebrations hosted back here. This time, however, there’s no cultural celebration or holiday involved, instead it’s just a collection of “Americana” offerings with Woody and Jessie from the Toy Story films.

Live entertainment schedule

A lot of these very “crafty” patriotic decorations are scattered throughout the area. It kind of looks like Disney teamed up with the Michaels Arts & Crafts stores

A couple games for kids

The stage plays host to a new “talent roundup” as well as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies.

Woody’s Talent Roundup is basically a guy with a guitar that sings Toy Story songs and is later joined by Woody and Jessie on stage and Jessie does a bit where she sling-shots a rock and it ricochets around Big Thunder Ranch until landing in a bucket that the host is holding.

Of course, the highlight back here is always Billy Hill and the Hillbillies

An outdoor vending cart sells drinks as well as pork shanks, hot dogs and new Cowboy Crunchies treats…

There’s also a merchandise cart with some Toy Story and Frontierland merchandise

Disney’s Celebrate America!
A Fourth of July Concert in the Skyat Disneyland Park
July 1 – 7 | 9:30 p.m.World of Colorwith a special Fourth of July pre-show
at Disney California Adventure Park
July 1 – 7 | 9:00, 10:15 p.m.

[center]Disneyland Park – A Salute to 58 Years of MagicA Limited Time Annual Passholder Magic Event
at Disneyland Park
July 2, 9 and 16, 2013[/center]
Disneyland will celebrate its 58th anniversary over the course of three weeks, starting tomorrow, with special presentations by Disney artist Stacia Martin. The events are Annual Passholder-exclusive and each week the presentations will focus on a different part of Disneyland. Each presentation will be offered twice. Details are below:

Celebrate 58 years of the “Happiest Place on Earth” with 3 special presentations highlighting the original lands of Disneyland Park. Passholders are invited to join Disney artist Stacia Martin for this series that features videos and slides of historic photographs spanning over 5 decades of Disneyland Park.

[center]Bring Home a Lone Ranger Boot Mugat Disneyland Park
Available now while supplies last[/center]
You can get a special “Lone Ranger” boot mug when you buy a root beer float at the Golden Horseshoe as part of Disneyland’s latest Limited Time Magic offering. The boot mugs will be available while supplies last. Below is Disney’s official blurb on the offering:

Celebrate the release of The Lone Ranger by kicking up some sizzling summer fun at Disneyland Park! Find your way to Frontierland and beat the heat at Golden Horseshoe, where you can buy a boot-shaped souvenir mug, “branded” with the Lone Ranger’s logo. Fill your “boot” with a frosty root beer slush, or enjoy other offerings in the spirit of Disney’s latest adventure film, including the “Masked Ranger Favorite” deluxe Angus cheeseburger with bacon, onion rings and all the fixin’s. You won’t want to miss this delicious offer, available for a limited time, thanks to a little Limited Time Magic!

Welcome to California Adventure

Over in California Adventure, summer continues along without much news for the park.

A look at Saturday afternoon’s wait times:

With Annual Passport block outs and the weekend heat wave, wait times in Cars Land were very manageable on Saturday.

Where’s everybody at?

Over in Hollywood Land, the special menu offerings from the Monstrous Summer All-Nighter are still available at Award Wieners, but the signage has changed. It no longer says “Monstrous Summer All-Nighter” and now just looks like a normal “Monsters University” promo.

Nearby, those big ugly merchandise trunks that popped up all over California Adventure during heavy construction a couple years ago continue to be used, this time for Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Sofia the First merchandise.

These little pop-up retail spaces were understandable during heavy construction when all of the shops in the park’s main entrance were closed but now it’s just tacky. It’s really time to get rid of them.

New Releases

Disney has been slowly releasing digital versions of some great theme park audio online in recent months. The releases have been quietly rolled out on Amazon MP3 and iTunes without any big announcements, which is a shame because some of the new offerings is great stuff that fans are sure to want. Below is a list of some recent new releases from Disney of some great theme park audio, including the Electrical Parade Soundtrack (only $2.99!) and the original official album from Disney’s California Adventure (yes, you really can download the soundtrack to Superstar Limo). Also available is a new compilation of piano performances recorded for the Carthay Circle Restaurant’s lobby and lounge area, which compliments the CD Disney released in the parks last year of the instrumental versions heard in the upstairs dining room.

Below are some additional theme park releases that have been available for some time now, including the original Carthay Circle Sessions album as well as soundtracks from Disneyland’s iconic Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean attractions.

Any audio you buy through the Amazon links above will also help support Dateline Disneyland (at no additional cost to you) which will help keep this blog running!

This and That

Outside the parks, the East Esplanade is now playing host to the locomotive from the Lone Ranger that was on display last weekend in Disney California Adventure. It’s a bizarre location for this, especially when Disneyland has Frontierland or Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree where this could be part of a nice Lone Ranger promotional offering. Perhaps the logistics of getting the locomotive into Frontierland proved too difficult? In any case, the train now sits awkwardly in the middle of nowhere, some a few guests entering from Harbor Blvd. stopping to take pictures with it.

Not too far away, the billboard for last year’s “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” movie that we showed you last week has been swapped out for an ad promoting ABC Family’s new show “The Fosters.” Finally.

The Brave billboards that you can see from the main entrance esplanade are still up, however.

A short walk from the park, HoJo Anaheim is conveniently located next to Matterhorn Mountain at Disneyland with nearby dining, freeway access, FREE parking and FREE Wi-Fi. For more information on HoJo Anaheim, room rates, or to book your stay today, visit HoJoAnaheim.com/MiceChat

MiceChat.com and Annual Passholder Discounts
Available Every Day!The HoJo Anaheim is now offering deeper discounts for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders! On select nights, Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders can get rooms for as low as $59 per night, plus tax. For more information visit the HoJo Anaheim Innsider Boards which features an up-to-date listing of available nights, or call (714) 776-6120 and ask for In-House Reservations to book. If your date isn’t listed, the HoJo Anaheim still offers rooms for 20% off their best available rate if you call (714) 776-6120.

MiceChat has an exclusive interview with the folks from D23 with details on what to expect at this year’s D23 Expo

Orange County Transportation Authority’s board of directors postponed action on approving funds for a new Disney-area streetcar system due to its high price

A Disneyland machinist was arrested at work last week on suspicion of having sex with an 11-year-old female relative.

Alright, that wraps up this week’s edition of Dateline Disneyland. Do you think it’s time to say farewell to the Disney Gallery or do you think it fits in fine in the Opera House? Will you be visiting for the Fourth of July? Let us know by joining in the discussion below!

We’re only here because of generous readers like you. Do you enjoy reading Dateline Disneyland every week? Consider helping us out by donating so we can pay the bills and keep the weekly updates coming! You can donate with a click of a button via PayPal, click here!

For more Disneyland news, be sure to read MiceChat’s weekly In the Parks blog. And be sure to check out our sister blog, Dateline Disney World – a fantastic weekly photo blog covering Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!

About Andy Castro

Andy is a Southern California native, raised with Disneyland and a life-long fan of Disney theme parks and animation. Andy writes the weekly Dateline Disneyland column, which can be found every Monday on MiceChat.

So sad to hear about the decommissioning process of the Disney Gallery. I think the gallery is as cherished an attraction as any other. I was sad when it was booted from New Orleans. Before then, I remember the Preview Center on Main St next to the Magic Shop. This was back when Disneyland was newer and focus was more on the future of the park; artwork for Discovery Bay and its attractions held my interest and wonder as I looked forward to Disney’s “next” big attraction.

This is just another reminder that Disneyland is no longer the little park with the train where families could enjoy the day together, as Walt dreamed it would be.

patton45

I must agree that Disneyland is not the little park for families. The last time I can remember going there and feeling like it was something really special was in the 80′s. Now each time I go, the last time 4 years ago, I get the feeling like the park exists only to sell plush and t-shirts. There is no vision from what I can see. And after spending a day at the Walt Disney Museum a few weeks ago, it makes me feel bad to see what Disneyland has become.

I NEVER see ANYONE at the cash register at that creepy Disneyania store. I think the people who bought those 1/200,000 collector plate type chotskies are slowley dying off . Hopefully future sales will dictate the expansion of the Disney Gallery(watered down by the DCA preview center). The streets of New Orleans could use a nice little museum again though.

Ju-osh

Disney is not even trying to hide the real purpose behind the Disneyana gallery. Just look at the font they chose for the Tiki Room poster — it’s straight off the US dollar bill!

Tinkd

Great update…does anyone know, are the Billy Hill and Hillbillies in the Jamboree area all summer, or was this for the 4th/july show stuff? We are visiting next week and hope they will be back in their home at the Golden Horseshoe.

Wendygirl

They are there all Summer, just like last year. Last year they also kept them back there for a Halloween theme show and then again for a Christmas Show. They didn’t go back to the Golden Horseshoe until after January sometime (because of the tribute show that ran in there). So far nothing has been said or revealed as to what is going to happen past Summer this year. I strongly suspect it will be the same but one never knows with Disney management.

braggfamily

Thanks for the great update! Loved seeing the pics of the Enchanted Tiki Room exhibit, and I do hope it will still be there when we visit during Labor Day weekend. Also, thanks so much for including the links to Amazon for the new Disney music releases. Some of this music I’ve been looking for years.

DisWedWay

Hope they can bring some magenta strata layering back to Big Thunder Mountain. I believe the sign on the roof of the load building originally had a hunter green background which popped the graphics beautifully. Hope the town of Rainbow Ridge is called out as it’s official name.

davidrusk

For those of us who can’t drop by the parks anytime we want, these photo updates are like water to a thirsty man! Thanks for posting about the sound tracks, they’re great!

WRDup

Someone could probably write long, eloquently and metaphorically about the Disney Gallery being pushing away from the heart of the park toward the exit. I don’t have it in me but I think it’s easy to see.

Chernabog

The Disney Gallery (pre-Dream Suite) was one of my favorite places to hang out. And they had really cool, knowledgeable CMs up there. The whole “let’s plop some random artwork up in a boxy back room” thing is so unappealing.

In other news, I wonder if AP sales are dying off due to the new prices? Are attendance patterns going to go back to pre-AP “normal”? Still, it is really odd to see an empty Cars Land on a Saturday.

Westsider

The AP numbers aren’t declining. This past Wednesday the attendance was almost TRIPLE what Saturday was, because the SoCal levels of AP’s became blocked out for the summer by Friday. The heatwave knocked a few extra thousand off for Saturday though.

Saturday is always the slowest day of the week in summer. It’s been this way for years. And Saturday is always the slowest day of the weekend during the off-season too. Saturday will have much lower in-park attendance numbers in the afternoon and evening than a Sunday afternoon or Friday evening will, due to high AP attendance by those who just “drop in” for a few hours after work on Friday or after church and errands on Sunday afternoon.

GAC use also skyrockets on Friday evenings and Sundays, due to the high AP visitation. Many attractions in Disneyland increase the number of Fastpasses available on Saturday, because they know there won’t be nearly as many GACs in the park that day. I imagine they do that in DCA too. Without so many GACs in use, we can give out more Fastpasses and keep the lines moving easier and everyone wins.

Saturdays are always very nice and very mellow, with many tourists and casual day-trippers, but very few APs due to blockouts. It’s been this way for awhile.

Chernabog

Yeah but I would assume that most of the APs coming already had their passes before the crazy price increase. I wonder how NEW AP sales/renewals are coming along.

And yeah having been an APer for 17 years in a row, I know that the majority of that time was “normal” theme park attendance, i.e. summers and holidays were packed, and there was still a predictable off-season that was not dictated by blockout days. I wonder if things will go back to that, or if AP sales are just as nuts as they were beforehand.

I mean, I know it’s only a small sample, but of the many “Disneyland AP friends” I have made over the years who always had APs (myself included), I know only a small handful that are renewing. My AP expired in March and I have no desire to pay $50 a month or $92+ to get exhausted on an all-day long trip to the parks.

iGirl

I do wish the weekly updates could be more fact based rather than opinion based. The former reads better in my humble opinion.

Thanks for the feedback. However, Dateline Disneyland has always and will always include honest critique (positive and negative) of Disney, Disneyland and other theme parks and attractions featured in the blog.

Thanks for reading.

-Andy

Calichaddy

I agree Andy, if people want a homogenized glossy PR version of what happened in Disneyland this week, read the Disney Blogs! If you want an honest opinion of what has changed for the better/worse at the park through the eyes of a true Disney fan that is there EVERY week, Andy is your man! I appreciate the photos and commentary every Monday Mr. Castro. Keep up the good work!

GeoffG

Since my first visit in ’04, the Disney Gallery has been a nice break from the ride race. However its time has passed. Disneyland purists would disagree but I don’t think the park was meant to be a museum nor should there be a museum in the park. I enjoy learning about the history of the park and seeing what has come and gone but that needs to be done outside the gates.

And thanks for the pictures, cool to see what’s happening at some of my homes away from home.

bfdf55

The Gallery wasn’t just a museum. It presented artwork and models for various projects, some past, some present, some future. But if there is to ever be a museum pertaining to Disneyland, then it certainly belongs IN Disneyland.

There is no way that it would be effective outside of the park.

OswaldTheRabbit

Always great to read your Dateline Disney entries. Very informative and pictures a worth a thousand words.

The gentlemen who sings Toy Story songs use to be part of a show in Frontierland some years ago. He now comes back for special events Disney throws. If anyone was at the Disney Parks Blog Midnight Snack Event during last years One More Disney Day; he performed there as well.

I’ll be heading to the park in a few days and had a question of anyone who visited today. I saw the Patriotic Cotton Candy in this Dateline Disney. However does anyone know what the patriotic mason jar deserts are at Carnation Café? Or where the Apple Pie is being sold in the parks? (I’m guessing maybe Flo’s)

Thanks for reading and thanks for the additional information on the Woody’s Talent Roundup performer!

The Mason Jar desserts are available at Carnation Cafe but I haven’t seen them in person. The Plaza Inn is serving an “apple crostata” that they’ve labeled as their Limited Time Magic offering, but I believe that dessert has been available at the Plaza Inn for some time now. I haven’t seen the “apple pie pockets” Disney advertised. Enjoy your visit!

-Andy

javalos1991

What if they moved the Disney Gallery to Blue Sky Cellar? Since there aren’t any projects, they can use the space for the Gallery.

Happy Phantom

This was so negative and whiny. No one wants to read someone claim to be a fan, then complain the entire blog. “These items, people actually want to buy, are just marketing”, “this pipe no one sees but me, is distracting”. Just do the report and keep your negative bantering to yourself. It ruins the whole report.

Thanks for your feedback. However, as I noted above to some other readers, Dateline Disneyland has always and will always include honest critique and commentary on Disney, Disneyland and other attractions featured on this blog. I don’t expect everybody to agree with my opinions, but I do hope that my commentary can spark thoughtful debate that can help make our community a more interesting and lively place!

Thank you for reading and I hope to see more comments and feedback from you in the future!
-Andy